Report to the Community - 2021
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The passing of time brings inevitable changes to our families, our neighborhoods, and our region. Now and then, we’d like time to go in slow motion. And occasionally, wouldn’t it be nice to Fast Forward straight to the good parts?
After decades of planning Central Florida’s transportation system, we realize the future will be here before we know it. That’s why MetroPlan Orlando, the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for Osceola, Orange, and Seminole Counties, works hard to anticipate tomorrow’s transportation needs and to start preparing for them today.
We used our technical expertise– and your input – this past year to Fast Forward to the year 2045. You told us you want more bus and rail options, and technology to help address challenges like congestion. Our 2045 Plan focuses on improving connections and working toward a transportation system that is safe and accessible to all.
We can achieve our vision by uniting as a region. We’re stronger together, and MetroPlan Orlando remains committed to bringing people together to champion our collective transportation goals.
Sincerely,
Viviana Janer Osceola County Commissioner2021 Chairwoman, MetroPlan Orlando Board
A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIRWOMAN
WHAT’S INSIDE
Getting Up to Speed ............................................................................ 2
Central Florida: Today vs. 2045 ............................................................ 3
Fast Forward to 2045 ........................................................................... 5
Accelerated by Data ............................................................................. 7
Dig Deeper at MetroPlanOrlando.org/2045 .......................................... 9
MetroPlan Orlando Board & How We’re Funded ............................... 10
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While our organization focuses on the future, replaying the past year shows how we navigated a unique period and how that experience helped move our regional transportation vision ahead.
Our center of attention was advancing three main plans, despite challenges from a global pandemic. The 2045 Plan (pages 5-6) was the biggest offering, flanked by the Prioritized Project List and Transportation Improvement Program (5-year work plan). Each required coordination with government and transportation partners. Like many organizations, we reimagined public events as virtual presentations and discussions to keep everyone involved throughout.
While offices were empty, planning calendars stayed busy, supporting our goals and those of partners. We helped develop Complete Streets conceptual plans throughout the three counties, working with local governments to make roads more accessible for everyone. We advanced health and safety programs. We led a ground-breaking cooperative effort among MPOs across the middle of the state
with our Regional TSMO (Transportation System Management & Operations) program to improve efficiency and safety through advanced strategies and technology.
At the heart of our operation were board and advisory committee members, convening virtually or in hybrid sessions to keep business rolling. They represent our most important stakeholders – people of Central Florida, who depend on transportation for livelihoods, recreation, and quality of life. Outreach during the past year included new tools, which created opportunities to bring more people into the process. We held webinars and forums to listen and inform, created video access to our meetings, and ramped up social media. We surveyed thousands of people about transportation needs, including many from parts of the community not ordinarily represented in decision-making.
Over the past year, our region discovered ways to keep moving, to adapt, to change. We refused to stop – or even slow down – because we are resilient and on Fast Forward to our future.
GETTING UP TO SPEED
LEARN MORE ON OUR WEBSITE
• Plans• Board & Committee Pages• Regional Transportation Survey Report
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ONE MILLION MORE PEOPLE
Central Florida will continue to be a place people want to live. Our current 2.2 million population will add about a million people by 2045, and we’ll be a more diverse region. High-growth forecasted areas include western Orange County around Horizon West and Osceola County on both sides of Lake Toho, including Poinciana and St. Cloud. The region also expects to continue receiving record numbers of visitors.
A MATURE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
We’ll have to provide options for how a growing population gets around, including enhanced bus and rail service. Focusing solely on cars is unsustainable. Our transportation system will be smarter, using more Transportation System Management & Operations strategies as vehicles, people, and infrastructure become more connected. We’ll see more Complete Streets and safety projects that focus on moving people in many ways. Our region’s completed trail system will help us stay active and enjoy nature.
MORE FREIGHT, GOODS & SERVICES
More people will also need a lot more stuff. Efficiently moving freight, goods, and services throughout the region is key to supporting Central Florida’s economic development. Our reliance on delivery services will likely continue far into the future. The trucking industry may be the first to use fleets of fully driverless semi-trucks for long haul trips, and by 2045, more of our packages may be arriving at our front doors by drone or other automated technologies.
CENTRAL FLORIDA: TODAY VS. 2045
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MORE DRIVERLESS VEHICLES
Today, the driverless (AKA automated) vehicle industry is working feverishly in the research, development, and deployment of projects. As these vehicles become widespread in coming years, we’ll see a long period where there’s a mix of vehicles with different technology levels sharing the road. By 2045, driverless vehicles will be much more common. There’s potential for driverless vehicles to dramatically improve traffic safety, but we’ll also have new challenges such as cybersecurity.
MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES, LESS GAS TAX REVENUE
Electric vehicles will become a bigger share of new car sales between now and 2045, but the region has to ensure utility grid capacity and charging infrastructure as popularity grows. Our current transportation funding system is based on the fuel tax. This means that electric vehicles don’t currently contribute to our traditional sources of transportation funding. Projections suggest state revenue losses could range from 8% to 30% by 2040, depending on adoption rates.
MANY UNKNOWNS
There are countless unknowns about the future. As driverless cars enter the scene, sometimes traveling empty, will more wear and tear be put on the roads? How will greater safety be achieved for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers? How can we ensure equitable access for all as technology rapidly changes? How can we deliver the frequent, well-connected, and reliable transit service the region needs? Will the transportation funding model change? How can we reduce transportation’s impact on the environment?
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///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Our region will look vastly different in 2045 – but how? That depends on our actions. The next two decades can bring us closer to our desired future, with concerted effort, or move us further away, with inaction.
4Data Sources: MetroPlan Orlando 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan; University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research
(BEBR); FDOT Florida Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Master Plan
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The future is not waiting patiently for Central Florida.
Moving this growing region through the next 25 years will be a challenge, as transportation needs expand. Hurtling toward the year 2045, we have confidence in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) guiding our vision.
The 2045 Plan, approved in December 2020, puts us on a fast track to the region Central Floridians say they want. We are federally required to produce a long-range plan, and this one differs significantly from its predecessors.
It focuses on moving people – not just cars – with increased emphasis on biking, walking, and transit. The plan aligns $27.9 billion in long-term investment with our goals to protect the region’s safety, health, environment, and economic well-being. While that’s an eye-popping figure, it’s nowhere near enough to meet all our needs or desires.
Acknowledging the uncertainty of the future, the MTP sketches different scenarios and works through strategies to stay on track. The plan looks at four potential futures involving climate, technology, major disruptions, or a continuation of traditional trends and how each could affect transportation planning. Scenario planning “future-proofs” the 2045 Plan, by helping us understand forces driving change and how to quantify, manage, and navigate their outcomes. As the plan goes through continual review, we can adapt to whatever is on the horizon.
The MTP considers health, accessibility, and equity as no other long-range plan has done. It offers transportation choices and includes people in underserved areas or those with financial burdens by tracking how projects are positioned near these parts of our region. New methods of analyzing travel information give a fuller picture of how people move about by walking, cycling, and transit. A Healthy Mobility Tool measures public health in the transportation system and helps assess how to address those issues.
Thousands of Central Floridians had a hand in shaping the 2045 Plan. A working group of community leaders, experts, and technical staff met regularly to review and discuss the plan as it came together. Members of the MetroPlan Orlando Board and advisory committees were briefed throughout the process. And thanks to creative public participation strategies – revised for pandemic restrictions – almost 16,000 people engaged with us throughout the development and approval journey. Input from the public, stakeholders, and decision-makers influenced technical decisions more than ever, making this plan truly a community vision.
The year 2045 may seem a long way off, but we are on Fast Forward to a future that in many ways is already here.
FAST FORWARD TO 2045
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SAFETY & SECURITY
Protecting lives and health in our region is a paramount concern and a shared responsibility of planners and transportation system users. The plan provides safe, secure ways for everyone to travel.
RELIABILITY & PERFORMANCE
Congestion is a way of life for Central Floridians, and – since it will never go away – technology can make trips more reliable and predictable. The plan promotes innovations to improve the system’s performance.
ACCESS & CONNECTIVITY
A prosperous community must make transportation work for all its members. The plan helps extend access to the diverse segments of Central Florida, connecting everyone to more opportunities.
HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
Central Florida’s natural resources are key to its success, and transportation solutions must protect them. The plan emphasizes our region’s public health, equity, land use, and environmental issues.
INVESTMENT & ECONOMY
A sustainable transportation system is the foundation of Central Florida’s economy and enviable quality of life. The plan supports prosperity through transportation investment that improves safety and efficiency.
THE 5 GOALS GUIDING THE 2045 PLAN
To learn more, visit MetroPlanOrlando.org/2045
GOAL 1
GOAL 2
GOAL 3
GOAL 4
GOAL 5
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Loads of data accelerate the transportation planning process, helping assess the performance of individual projects and the entire system – and ultimately focusing investments on attaining our region’s long-term vision. Federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation directs MetroPlan Orlando to use performance targets to identify needs, select projects, and monitor results.
How are projects measured objectively when they vary so widely? Starting with the end in mind, we used the 2045 Plan goals to establish measurable objectives, no matter the transportation mode. Some of the wide-ranging data types used to evaluate projects are listed in the accompanying graphic. For performance measures to really make a difference, regular monitoring must take place. MetroPlan Orlando tracks trends and uses a congestion management process continuously to
keep an eye on our transportation system, making adjustments as needed.
Data also propels transportation into the future through swiftly evolving technologies that will change how we travel, such as automated, connected, and electric vehicles. MetroPlan Orlando can help the region identify and understand the local challenges and tradeoffs associated with these technologies, promote data security, support equitable access, and build partnerships.
The future is calling. As we Fast Forward to the year 2045 and beyond, MetroPlan Orlando will continue listening to the public and providing leadership to prepare Central Florida for challenges and opportunities, leaving a safe and efficient transportation system as a legacy.
LEARN MORE ON OUR WEBSITE
• Tracking the Trends Interactive Story Map• 2045 Plan Report: Congestion Management Process• Fact Sheet: Automated, Connected & Electric Vehicles
ACCELERATED BY DATA
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Crash rates
Traffic fatalities & serious injuries
Pedestrian & bicycle crashes
Evacuation routes
SAFETY &SECURITY
Travel time reliability
Fiber optic presence
Future congested speeds
Segment actively managed
RELIABILITY & PERFORMANCE
Transit headways
Critical sidewalk needs Population & jobs
within half-mile
Cultural, recreation, food & healthcare
within half-mile
ACCESS & CONNECTIVITY
Bicycle level of traffic stress
DensityPublic health
indicators
Vehicle miles traveled
Underserved populations
USING DATA
TO EVALUATE
PROJECTS
Commercial vehicle traffic & truck bottlenecks
Freight land uses
Visitor traffic
Vehicle hours traveled
Cost burdened households & cost
of congestion
HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
INVESTMENT & ECONOMY
For a full list of evaluation criteria, see 2045 Plan Tech Series 6: Prioritization Process report.
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1 – Goals & ObjectivesMetroPlan Orlando’s transportation vision and goals for the 2045 Plan
2 – Data Source GuideA data dictionary that outlines comprehensive sources used
3 – Origin-Destination AnalysesIn-depth look at travel patterns in Central Florida
4 – Existing Conditions & Area ProfileOverview of the region’s existing conditions and the basis of forecasts
5 – Financial ResourcesHow transportation could be funded over the next 20-25 years 6 – Prioritization ProcessCriteria used to score, evaluate, and prioritize 2045 Plan projects
7 – Freight & Goods MovementFreight mobility needs and opportunities
8 – Scenario Planning: Background & DevelopmentOverview of scenario development and planning
9 – Pedestrian & Bicyclist Needs AssessmentEvaluation of the region’s existing pedestrian and bicycle network
10 – Health & Environmental ScreeningHow to evaluate transportation impacts on public health and the environment
11 – Regional Transit NeedsExisting services and issues impacting public transportation
12 – Multimodal NeedsThe process for developing the Multimodal Needs List
13 – System Performance Report Performance targets for the transportation system
14 – Scenario Planning Summary & StrategiesFour potential futures & results of scenario planning
DIG DEEPER AT MetroPlanOrlando.org/2045
Explore our Metropolitan Transportation Plan technical reports for an in-depth look at how we are planning for the year 2045
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MetroPlan Orlando receives operating money primarily from three sources: federal grants, state grants, and local per capita assessments. We thank our funding partners (see board list for voting member organizations), Federal Highway Administration, and Federal Transit Administration. Through their support and responsible administration by our staff, we remain in solid financial condition.
Staff efforts are guided by the Unified Planning Work Program, a budget and task directive approved each year by our board. Our financial statements are audited by an independent accounting firm to ensure sound accounting practices and to provide an outside review of our financial standing. We take pride in producing a clean audit each year.
FUNDING SOURCES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020
BOARD LIST & HOW WE’RE FUNDED
Commissioner Viviana JanerLYNX & SunRail CommissionCHAIRWOMAN
Commissioner Mayra UribeOrange CountyVICE CHAIRWOMAN
Commissioner Bob DallariSeminole CountySECRETARY/TREASURER
Mayor Patricia BatesCity of Altamonte Springs
Commissioner Emily BonillaOrange County
Commissioner Ricky BoothOsceola County
Commissioner Lee ConstantineCentral Florida Expressway Authority
Commissioner Maribel Gomez CorderoOrange County
Mayor Jerry L. DemingsOrange County
Mayor Buddy DyerCity of Orlando
Ms. Sarah Elbadri*Community Advisory Committee
Commissioner Jim FisherCity of Kissimmee
Mr. M. Carson GoodGreater Orlando Aviation Authority
Mr. Doug Jamison*Transportation System Management & Operations Committee
Mr. Thomas A. Kapp*Kissimmee Gateway Airport
Commissioner Christine MooreOrange County
Mr. Nabil Muhaisen*Technical Advisory Committee
Mayor Bryan NelsonCity of Apopka
Commissioner Tony OrtizCity of Orlando
District 5 Secretary Jared Perdue*Florida Department of Transportation
Commissioner Victoria SiplinOrange County
Mr. Stephen SmithSanford Airport Authority
Council Member Keith TraceMunicipal Advisory Committee
Mayor Art WoodruffCity of Sanford
Commissioner Jay ZembowerSeminole County
*denotes non-voting member
2021 METROPLAN ORLANDO BOARD
HOW WE’RE FUNDED
Federal – $4,099,137State – $189,982Local – $1,207,829Other – $91,106
73%
22%
3%
2%
250 S. Orange Ave., Suite 200 • Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 481-5672 • MetroPlanOrlando.org
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